Safety apparatus for railways.



T. M. FREEBLE. SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,19H.

Pmsented Feb. 8,1916.

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I APPLICATION FILED APR. I2, 19H.

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' 4'Patented Feb. 8,1916.

THOMAS nr. -Fnnnnnn'gfor'nocnns'rnn, rnNnsYLVnNIA.-- -v SAFETY aPAmTUs non narLWAYs.

application le'd lApril 12, 1911. Serial lNo. 620,681.

vTo all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known thatv LTHoMAs'll/I. REEBLE, of Rochester, Beaver county, State of Penn- Sylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in Safety Apparatus for Railways, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming `part of this speciication, in which-,-`

Figure 1 is a diagrannnatic view-illus,-

on a larger scale; Fig. 3V is a side view of a sectional view of,A the same; Figs. 5 and 6 are views which are respectively similar to Figs. 3 and 4, but which show a modification;v and Figs. 7- andi are diagrammatic -views similar to Fig. 1, lbut showing further Y modications of theinvention..p

j My 's inventionfhasirelation' to safetyV apparatusfor railways, yand is designed to provide apparatus 'which is especially adapted for use in Iconnection with the ordinary yblock signal apparatus of the railway, for

the purpose of insuring control of train movements in accordance with the block signal.

f 'More specifically, my invention comprises means carried by the locomotive or other' portion of the train or stopping or controlling the speed. of `the train, and means located along the trackway in suitable relation tothe block signals and adapted `for coperation with the mechanism on the train and also controlled by the positionfof the blocksignals, whereby with a signal in the control. t T i I Referring rst to that forni of `my invencaution or danger position, the' train will be automatically stopped or brought under tion shown in Fig. 1, the vnumeral 2 designates the track rails which are formed in insulated sections,v the insulation being indicated at 3, and dividing the portion of the 'track shown into the blocks A, B, C, l) and E. 4'designates batteries or other source of current, which are connected across the track y rails of each block. 5 designates semaphores "or other signals for respective blocks. 7

designates the track relays which control the 'signals 5 in a manner wellknown in block signaling-.the signal system shown beingf Specification of Letters Patent.y

I Patenten renale-nc.

thattype in which the presenceofk'al` train in any block, short circuits a track relayor relays,'and thereby sets the signal at danger.

'Each of the relays'has two magnetsLoneof `these magnets being connected vacross the'V track. rails fof the section which it protects,

and the othermagnet being connected vacross the track rails of the next succeeding section. I i

y I 8. designates short contact sections, one of which 1s placed adjacent tothe termination lof each .block and which may be located either between the track rails. or vadjacent thereto, so as to be engaged by a Contact roller 9, or otherydevice, which is carried by' the locomotive or other part of fthe Strain.-

Each of theV contact sections may be of the 4 form shown vvin Figs. 3 and 4, having the overhungtop flange 10, with the underside 4of'which the roller 9 makes contact,`or they may be of the angle form shown vin' Figs. 5.

and. 6," in which the contact roller device 9n makes contact with `the edge thereof, or theywr` *I may beof any other suitable formjA Each of the relay magnets 7 is provided with` a pivoted armaturell, the two armatures being electrically connected .in series with each other and forming 7part of an electric circuit, one `terminal of which is connected tothe adjacent contact sectioni, and thevother terminal of which' 1s connected to'one ofthe track rails of the block in which the rco'ntact section is located. .This circuitincludes i a battery 12 or other source of supply.

13 is a magnetwhich is carried ofna locomotive and whichhasy one of its terminals connectedbyaconductor 13a to a movable contact 14, which,` in turn, is connected to or arranged to be lactuatedby the contactA roller9,before referred to. Any other corr' tact device may be used instead of -the roller 9. The other termlinal of the magnet 13 is grounded through .a conductor 13?? to the frame of the locomotive at 15,

16 isa battery orother source of current,

yhaving one'terrninalconnected to the conductor 13b and itsotherterminal endingin a contact point 17, which is normally engaged by the Contact 14. 1

18 designates two movable contacts,.lo'nel `of which/'isconnected to the conductor 13n andthe other of which is connectedto the conductor leading from the battery 16 to the Contact point'17.' The two contacts` 1S are. l

arranged to be connected through a member obstruction in block 19 having an insulated portion 20, arranged to be moved by a centrifugal governor 21, which is driven by the train. llVhen the speed of the train. is above a certain prede termined maximum, the insulated portion.

20,'is moved between the contacts 18 to break the circuit between them, and when the speed of the train is below the maximum, the two contacts are connected through vthe conducting portion of the member 19.

Each magnet 13 is arranged to operate an armature lever 22, which, in turn, actuates a speed-controlling device 23. This device may be a brake-applying valve or it may be the throttle lever of anengine or the 'control lever of a motive driven vehicle. The magnet 13 is normally energized from the batteryl, and in this position, the speedcontrolling device is in normal running position. The normal circuit of this magnet is from the battery 16 to and throughthe magnet and back to the battery through the contacts Mend 17. One magnet 7 of each of the track relays is connected in multiple with one of the magnets of the relay .for the next succeeding block section.

The operation is as follows: Supposing a train equipped with the apparatus before described to be the block B in the' position indicated in Fi 1.A A train or other cated, will short circuit one o the magnets of each of the two adjacent track relays-f7, thereby setting the semaphores 5 for the track sections D and E at danger, and utting the semaphore 5 of the section at caution, in the usual manner in block signaling. The short circuiting of the magnet will drop the corresponding armatures' 11.u as shown in Fig. l. 1 When t e contact' roller on the train block B enga es the contact secout effect on the magnet 13, since the cire-L tion 8. of the block C, i the speedlof the train is at or below' the predetermined maximum, the opening of the circuit at 'the contacts Hand 17, which will be eected by the movement of the roller 9, Will be withcuit for said magnet will be completed .reduced or being brought to a sto through the contacts 18 and governor-con trolled member` 19. 'If,however, the speed of the train exceeds the predetermined maximum for which the governor is set, the conf tacts 18 will beseparated by the insulating portion 2O of the member 19, and the circuit of the magnet 13 will be opened, thereb actuating the speed-controlled device 23 either to stop the train or reduce its speed according to the character of said device. If, therefore, there is any obstruction in the bloc'k E, the approaching train can not pass into block D without having its speec there is no obstruction in the block' the magnet 13 will not be aected, Whatever may be the speed of the train, since all the in the osition indi-` inv'neea energized condition, and the contact seoI tion 8 will be connected with its battery i2,

so that as soon as the contact roller 2 en-4 gages said section, current willy o'w from the battery 12 through said section, and the roller 9, to and through the magnet 13, by way of the conductor 13b. t Will be a parent, therefore, that the speed-contro ne' device pf the train will not be normally at fected unless two conditions are presented: first, the proper signal or signals must be at danger; and second, the speed of the. train must be above a predetermined man@ mum. With these two conditions existing, the train will be at once brought to stop or under control without any action on the part of the engineer.

llVhile the invention is shown as ap lied to a block signal system in which two b ocks are simultaneously protected by danger sig`-. nals and the third block by a caution signal, it will be obvious that it is equally adapted for use with blocksystems in 'which only block protected by the'danger signal isthat in which the train or obstruction which controls said signal is located. In othe words, the contact section 8, whichis made th@ sa eiective to control the speed of thexztraim.

Each locomotive barrios two contact Wheels 3,052

26 and 27.. The locomotive also has a magnet 28, provided with an armature 29, adapt- 7 f" ed when the magnet is denergized to enfl gage a contact -point 30, iwhich is coni `'hected to one terminal of. the magnet 24. The magnet 28 has Aone terminal connected to `the frame di? the locomotive at 3l, and its other terminal connected to the contact wheel or roller26. This termif1 connect the contacts 32, but when the speed of the train is below such maximum, the contacts 32" are separated by the insulating portion 33.

lVhen the contact rollers 26 and 27 engage any track section 8, there will be no effect on the magnet 24, unless there is some obstruction in-the controlling block section, and unless the speed of the train. i above a. predetermined. maximum. If neither of 4 these conditions exist (and the rollers 26 130 and 27 are on any track section), current will iiow `from the battery l2, lthrough the.

Contact section 8, to the roller 26, and,`

through the magnet 28 and back to the frame of the locomotive at 314,l thereby energizing the magnet 28 and holding up lts armature-contactQ. Even it the armature' ll should be dropped, the magnet 24"will still be unaected, provided i the speed the train is below the predetermined maxij mum, by reason of the governor-controlled contact"'32 being in a position in which its insulating portion 33 will separate the contacts 32. (If, however, the armature contact 11 has been dropped and the position of the governor-controlled contact 32 is such as to electrically connect the contacts 32 the magnet 28 remains denergized, with 'its armature contact 29 dropped against the contact point 30 and thereby short circuiting the battery 25, through the contacts 32, the contact 26, the track section 8, contact 27, and contacts 29 and 30.

In the modification shown in Fig.' 8, instead of employing short track contact sec-` tions, such as shown in the other figures, I employ in each block short insulated rail sections 34. In this form of my invention, one o the relay armatures 11 is normally connected through contact and conductor 36 with Vthe short insulated section 34, and the other relay magnet armature 11- is connectedthrough the contact 37and conductor 33with the track rail adjacent to the short insulated section 34. The speed governor contacts 39 are arranged in parallel with the speed device controlling magnet 40, and the governor-actuated contact has a conducting porflon 4l and an insulating portion 41"', the latter being normallyvin position to separate thecontacts 39. The locomotive carries the contact roller 42, which is connected to one terminal of the magnet 40, through its armature"contacts 43. The other terminal of the magnet 4G is connected through battery 44, to the frame of the locomotive at 45.

It will be seen that the circuit oi' the magnet14tl is normally completed throughthe track rail, thereby maintaining the energizatio'n ottsaid magnet. It the speed of the .train is below the `predetermined maximum,

however, the circuit of the magnet 40 will be completed through the contacts 39 and 40. If the relay magnets 7 are energized, the passage of the contact roller 42 on to the insulated section 34 will have no effect upon the magnet 40, since its circuit is still completed through the conductor 38, contact 37,

relay armature 11B, contact 35 and conductor 36, these contacts and conductors bridging around the insulation at one end of the short section 34.A if, however, one of 'the relay magnets 7 'is denergized bythe presence of an obstruction in the ycontrollih block, this bridge is opened and the circuitof the magl itself denergizin'g` an adjacent relay when passingfover one oaf, the, insulated tra@ sections 34', tli'ins'ulated `joints 3a of th'evtw Itrack rails are placed in alternating relationf All the -formsof vmy invention comprise 75 track contact members, circuits for energiz-A ing said members and controlled by the block signal system,a speed-controlling de-4 vice on the train having a controlling magnet, a speed governor controlling in part the circuit of the magnet, and means whereby the said magnet may be energized or its circuit completed from a track contact member, provided the track is clear. If, however, an obstruction exists in the controlling block, the actuating magnet A,of the speed-control ling device is denergized unless the speed of the train is sufficiently slow to prevent this.

' My invention adds .to the ordinary block 90 Asystem of a railroad simply the provision of i the track contact sections 8 or 34, andthe providing of the relay magnets 7` with another set of contacts. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 7, a separate battery or other source of electricity is necessary for each track contact section, but this source is cdispensed within the arrangement shown in Fig.8..

f It will be seen that myinvention is susceptible of various other embodiments in the details of arrangement of its circuits and of the .speed-controlling apparatus carried by the train. It is also applicable to other types of block systems than the particular type illustrated and described.

My invention is applicable to electric railways as well as steam roads, and in using the terms train, locomotive, etc., I desire them to be understood asapplying to. any moving vehicle on a track.'

` I claim: y

In safety apparatus for railways, the coml binationywith track rails divided into sepa,-V rate block sections of two relay magnets for each block section, and connected directly across the track rails of that section to be controlled wholly bytrack conditions in that section, atrack contact for each block section, said contact having a circuit connection with one of the track rails of that section, a source of current supply included in said connection, two electrically series connected movable Contact `members also included in said connection, said members bcingrespectively controlled by the relay magnetsof I two other different block sections, a, contact device carried by the train forengagement withthe said track contacts, an electro-magnet, means for normally energizing said.

, magnet independently of the said track conl In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. v y THOMAS M. FREEBLE.

GEO. B. BLEMING, R. A. BALDERSON. 

